


Words Are Enough

by IAmAshamedOfMyFanfics (faraandmera)



Series: The Undramatic Lives Of Fictional Creatures [8]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Can be read on its own, Comfort, Fantasy, Friendship, Little bit of angst, everyone i mentioned but those four are the ones who do stuff even minor stuff, ghost jooheon, werewolf minhyuk, wounds are mentioned bc werewolf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-27 13:12:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8403004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faraandmera/pseuds/IAmAshamedOfMyFanfics
Summary: Jooheon can only provide comfort through words. Being incorporeal isn’t something he exactly likes. He just wants to be able to hold and comfort his friends. Dying sure did ruin that for him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr version: iamashamedofmyfanfics.tumblr.com/post/147438733450/words-are-enough
> 
> originally written in july

Minhyuk is a werewolf. That’s something that has been true his whole life. Born to a werewolf- purebred- father and a human mother. In his childhood- his second childhood being that he was reincarnated- he lived among other werewolves. In his childhood, and up until he was an adult, full moons weren’t that big a deal- if a bit exhausting- because the presence of other wolves would keep him calm.

Now, though, he’s away from them. Now he lives among other non-human creatures in an area filled with humans. Though the scents of his friends- Plant spirits, vampire, angel, and demon- keep him calmer than he would be on his own in a human filled area, it’s still difficult. Full moons still land him in a ton of pain from self-inflicted wounds as his ‘wolf side’ focuses it’s violence on the only thing it can to not attack humans. Minhyuk is okay with that, knows it’s better than hurting humans. Certainly he wouldn’t go back to the werewolves he left behind just to avoid it.

But it still hurts.

“I want death to come for me again.” Minhyuk whines, shifting uncomfortably in a chair. The living room is empty mostly, everyone off somewhere or another after making sure Minhyuk had food and bandaged wounds. Sometimes they stay around the whole day, sometimes they do this, Minhyuk could ask them to stay if he really wanted. Asking them to stay, though, wouldn’t do any good.

Jooheon can’t leave- being that he’s a ghost attached to the apartment- so he is stuck with post full-moon Minhyuk, and Minhyuk is stuck with him.

“What if you get stuck like me, though?” Jooheon 'sits’ legs crossed on the coffee table so he’s directly facing Minhyuk. In response Minhyuk shrugs- then seems to regret it- and closes his eyes.

“Hang out here with everyone like you do. Wouldn’t have to eat or turn into a wolf. Don’t know, seems like a pretty good deal.”

“Hm,” Jooheon hums, then holds up his pointer finger. “Deal.”

“Good.”

“Person.”

“Human.”

“Mortal.”

“Immortal.”

“Vampire.”

“Changkyun.”

“That’s cheating,” Jooheon laughs, and Minhyuk shakes his head.

“Names aren’t cheating. We always end up using everyone anyway.”

“Yeah, but I never know how to follow names.” Jooheon watches Minhyuk open an eye to look at Jooheon when he laughs. “Uh, Blood.”

“Wounds.” Minhyuk idly rubs his left arm. Jooheon frowns.

“Death.”

“Ghost.”

“Jooheon.”

“ _Oh,_ but using your _own_ name isn’t cheating.” Minhyuk laughs again, smiling with all of his teeth when his eyes fall closed again. “Eyes.”

“I feel mocked. Red.”

“Great now I’m back at Changkyun. Yes I know repeating a word is cheating, Jooheon.”

“If you know.”

“Flower.”

“Don’t do this to me,” Jooheon sighs. “I’m not going to be the one to choose which plant spirits name to say.”

“Which of them do you like more? Don’t worry I wont tell them.”

“You will immediately tell both Hoseok and Hyungwon, I’m not fooled.” Jooheon glares despite the fact Minhyuk’s eyes are still closed. “Plant.”

“Grow.”

“Sun.”

“Photosynthesis.”

“ _Dude_. That isn’t the word. Tree.”

“Bark.”

“Dog.”

“Puppy.”

“Happy.”

“Smile.”

“Minhyuk.”

“Wow can you be more cheesy?” Minhyuk snorts and shakes his head before humming in thought. “Werewolf.”

“Should have seen that coming.” Jooheon really should have, that’s usually how it happens. Or the other way around. Though even if the order of words or the words in general are the same, it isn’t that important. The point is to distract Minhyuk from his pain and help him fall asleep so he heals quicker, not be legitimately clever. “Moon.”

“Full.”

“New.”

“Friend.”

“Amazing. That’s not the word, for the record. Family.”

“Love.”

“See now I’m back at friend. Cupid.”

“Angel.”

“Hyunwoo.”

“Shocking. Demon.”

“Kihyun.”

“Hey, Jooheon, you can at least pretend to be creative?” Minhyuk opens his eyes again, glancing at Jooheon who shrugs in turn. “Food.”

“Bread.”

“Now that should have been a response to Hyunwoo. Bird.”

“No _that_ should have been. Feather.”

“Wings.”

“Fly.”

“Fall.”

“Ground.”

“Bury.”

“Wow Minhyuk, did you have to make it dark?”

“You’re dead,” The words come out mumbled.

“Still,” Jooheon laughs. “Grave.”

“Dig.”

“Own.”

“Words.”

“Talk.”

“Hm,” Minhyuk hums vaguely in thought and then half mumbles out his next word. “Quiet.”

“Sleep.” Jooheon waits, but Minhyuk doesn’t give a word in response and he can’t help but find the timing a little ironic. Still, since the goal of going back and forth with words was the help Minhyuk fall asleep, Jooheon counts that as a victory.

 

Jooheon is a ghost. That’s something that has been true since he was killed years ago. Being a ghost means that he’s incorporeal. Because he’s incorporeal, there’s very little he can do for anyone. If he focuses hard enough he can slightly move things, but other than that all he’s good for is walking through walls and talking to the six people that can actually see him. So there’s not much he can do when they’re hurt. Not that it happens a lot.

Hyunwoo tends to avoid danger. The most that’s ever wrong with the angel is losing feathers. Kihyun is the one usually telling people to take care of themselves- aggressively- so if he was hurt a lot that’d be hypocritical. Hoseok and Hyungwon both share the problem of not going outside enough. Changkyun occasionally forgets to drink enough blood, but that’s an easily fixed problem, and even if it wasn’t Jooheon couldn’t do anything about that.

The only one who really got hurt was Minhyuk. Every month he’d tear himself up- because it’s all he can do not the hurt anyone else- and be exhausted and wounded when the next day rolls around. There’s not much Jooheon can do about that. While the others can help bandage Minhyuk’s wounds, make sure he has enough food, and make sure he’s comfortable, Jooheon can’t do any of that.

It’s _frustrating._

While stories tell how sad it is not to be able to be able to touch one you love, none of them talk about how hard it is to not be able to help your _friends_. Because, sure, love is great and all, _whatever_. Jooheon isn’t in love, doesn’t have someone out there he wishes he could touch and be with. Doesn’t miss some love he lost when he died. Everything that frustrates him about being a ghost come from his platonic relationships.

As a friend, you want to comfort your friends when they’re sad. When they’re hurt. Jooheon can’t do that. His words are there, sure, but no amount of words heals physical wounds. No amount of spilling words from his mouth stop the fact that he can’t help, nor that he hates that he can’t help.

When the others cry for things they lost- homes, family, purpose, ability- Jooheon can’t hold them. Can’t rub circles into their back when he tells them _it’s okay. It’ll be okay._

When they need help, there isn’t anything he can do.

No one ever told him how frustrating not being able to hug your friends would be.

 

Minhyuk shifts in his sleep, wraps his arms around himself out of instinct from the pain, and Jooheon sighs. “Sorry.”

Minhyuk is a werewolf, meaning that he heals quicker than humans. though it sometimes takes a while, this time he’s up and about within two days, smile returning and bandages removed. There are scars- always are- but he seem fine after that until the next moon cycle. At least physically.

 

“My birthday is soon.” Minhyuk glances out the window, it’s night and the waning moon is in the sky. “I wonder if I should go… _there_.”

Jooheon doesn’t need to hear the word 'home’ to know that Minhyuk was going to say it before thinking better. “Do you want to?”

“Not really. I miss my parents, though. But… all the other wolves there are…”

“Was something wrong with them?” Jooheon doesn’t know a lot about werewolves, other than what he knows about the Minhyuk currently in front of him. Doesn’t know if things are different between this Minhyuk and the one from before they met. _In fact,_ Jooheon realizes, _he doesn’t know a lot about any of his friends cultures._

What were vampires like? What are other plant spirits like? What are angels like? What are demons like?

“Werewolves have this thing about being purebred. Think like dog breeding, right?” Minhyuk laughs but there’s no smile. “Well, my mom was human, in this life, _so.._. they weren’t super happy with me being around.”

“I’m sorry.”

“They never made me leave, though. I think keeping up the image that we weren’t dangerous was more important than anything else, luckily.”

“So you don’t want to see them, I take it.”

“Yep.” Minhyuk smiles. “Maybe I should invite my parents over here. _'Hey dad guess what I’m friends with a couple of plants, a vampire, a ghost, an angel, and a demon. Isn’t that cool?’_ That would be fun.”

“Nah, just invite them and don’t give any warning. I want to see the look on his face with all the smells you keep talking about.”

“This place mostly smells like blood and flowers, don’t know if he’ll have a great reaction to that.”

“Oh wait, your mom is human.”

“Yeah?”

“I can’t meet her then.” Jooheon frowns. “How can I hit on your mom if she can’t see me?”

“Do not.” Minhyuk looks horrified and Jooheon laugh with his entire non-existant body. “Jooheon!”

“Your reaction was totally worth it.”

“Gross.”

“Seriously though, if you visit your parents would you have to see the others?”

“Probably. The community is pretty tight nit. Even if they aren’t happy with my dad.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah,” Mihyuk breathes, smile falling from his face. “I’m not super fond of everyone looking at me like I’m not good enough.”

“…Right.” Jooheon curses his inability to hug people, Minhyuk looks like he needs it.

“Well you don’t have to look sad, it’s not your problem.”

“I don’t really… know what that’s like? I got away with anything that would have disappointed people most of the time. I think you’d have better luck talking to like… well anyone else.”

“But you’re right here and they’re all asleep.”

“Shouldn’t you be?”

“Maybe.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for, Jooheon.”

“Ha, right.”

“Are you okay?”

“I was just thinking. About everyone and myself.”

“How?”

“In the way that… I can’t do anything for you guys? Like, I can talk and try to say stuff you need to hear and that I believe, but if you actually need something I’m pretty useless. I can’t even _hug_ anyone.”

“Words are pretty helpful. If they weren’t, going back and forth like we always do wouldn’t be helpful, would it?”

“I guess.”

“Do I need to list everything you actually do, Jooheon? I’ll do it, I got all day… n _ight_ … who needs sleep when I’m on a friendship mission?”

“Why are you so weird?”

“Have you seen our friends?”

“Good point.”

“Jooheon.”

“No, I don’t need your super sleep-deprived friendship speech, I understand.”

“I’m gonna give it anyway.”

“Minhyuk.”

“It’s like four in the morning and I’m being emotional about my own problems, nothing can stop me now.”

“Save me.”

“Wow isn’t it great how you make Hyunwoo feel less bad about failing at his job as an angel?”

“Um.”

“Wow isn’t it great how Kihyun ask you first whenever he thinks something is wrong with someone?”

“Well that’s…”

“Wow! Isn’t it great how Hyungwon asks you first when he doesn’t understand something about humans?”

“Okay but-”

“Shut up. Isn’t it great how Hoseok only goes outside when one of three people ask him and one of those people is you? I’m not one of those people, _how do you do it?_ ”

“Minhyuk-”

“I’m not done. Wow isn’t it great how you keep me from thinking about being in pain so I can actually rest after the full moon?”

“The others could-”

“One more! Isn’t it great how you’re the first person Changkyun thinks of when he needs a distraction from 'shitty vampire issuetm’?”

“I get it! Okay. Jeeze, let me speak.”

“Never.”

“Oh no, what will I do? How can I possibly talk while the person that literally can’t do anything to me wont let me?”

“Shush.”

“Thanks, nerd.”

“Hey, only one of us went to college.”

“You aren’t human!”

“Still.”

“Go to sleep or something, god.”

“Sure, sure.”

Jooheon is alone in the living room when he starts laughing. He wonders how the conversation would have gone had it been anyone else? Probably similar things presented in different ways. Because his friends, he decides, are all giant nerds. That’s why he loves them, though. That and the fact they can see him at all.

 

Jooheon is a ghost. Has been since he was killed. Jooheon has always had issues with being a ghost; not being able to talk to or touch people was horrible. But he _could_ talk to the people he was with now. Sure, he couldn’t hug them when they’re sad or playfully hit when they’re rude- in most cases- but they’re still his friends. They believe that he can do something for them, at least, so he’ll just have to accept that.

No, he can’t bring himself to be _okay_ with the situation, but being able to even talk to them is more than he could say for himself with any human. So he’ll deal with it.

 

“Alright so why are you laughing to yourself at ass-o-clock in the morning?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping, Changkyun?”

“Ah yes. As a vampire clearly sleeping at night is my favourite thing.”

“…Must you be sarcastic?”

“Must you be dead?”

“Yes. I literally cannot control that.”

“Exactly.”

“Wow you suck. _Wait.”_

“God you’re as bad as Hyungwon. Literally. I’m pretty sure he made that joke, like, a month ago.”

“It wasn’t intentional.”

“By the way, words are plenty helpful.” Changkyun strides into the kitchen while Jooheon gawks at him.

“Are you listening into conversations now?”

“I have really good hearing and literally no one else is making any noise. I had no choice.”

“…Thanks.”

 

As Jooheon finds out the next morning, excellent hearing isn’t the only reason anyone knows his worries. Since apparently everyone hears everything in the apartment and each of them tell him all on their own how much he does for them. Well, Kihyun mostly just frowns at him for the day.

“You can hug me.”

“Oh yeah… You can interact with ghosts huh.”

“I’m hurt?”

“Are you asking?”

But everyone else tells him he’s helpful. Jooheon can’t help but smile for the rest of the day, too.

“Seriously though, _hugs_ , let’s go.”

“Stop.”


End file.
